Overview

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 90,000 patients die every year due to infections acquired at hospitals.

Yet many states do not have laws on the books requiring hospitals to report how many patients get infections at their facilities as a result of inadequate sanitary practices or procedures. Letting the public know which hospitals have the best or worst infection rates allows patients to make informed choices about where to seek treatment, and pressures hospitals to improve their practices.

Iowa PIRG, as part of U.S. PIRG, the federation of state PIRGs, is working with Consumers Union—the publisher of Consumer Reports—to keep pressure on hospitals to comply with existing laws and is urging other states to pass similar laws.